Ben Sears set for a spell in club cricket at Melbourne having been sidelined by a hamstring injury since early October.
Ben Sears, a fast bowler from New Zealand, will play in Victoria Premier cricket in Melbourne while he recovers from a hamstring injury.
In the hopes of being available for the commencement of the Super Smash tournament with Wellington in late December, he will play six games for Melbourne University Cricket Club, including five Twenty20 matches and a 50-over one-dayer. Sears will be part of New Zealand’s plans for the T20 World Cup in February if he is well.
Due to a prior hamstring injury that prevented him from competing in the Champions Trophy in February, Sears, 27, has been out since the T20I series against Australia in early October. Because there isn’t much short-form cricket being played in New Zealand right now with the Plunket Shield, it has been decided to send him to Melbourne.
“Ben has missed a large portion of cricket in two out of the last three summers, so it was important for him to get as much cricket as possible on grass wickets leading into his Super Smash return,” New Zealand coach Rob Walter said.
“He’s a big part of our future plans and with an important period of T20 cricket ahead of us, we want to ensure Ben has the safest and most appropriate return to play plan in place. He’s been progressing well and we’re looking forward to seeing how he gets on in Melbourne.”
Sears is one of several quicks from New Zealand who have recently been sidelined; he has played one Test, four ODIs, and 22 T20Is. Lockie Ferguson has a hamstring issue, Adam Milne has an ankle injury, and Will O’Rourke is still recovering from a back stress fracture. Meanwhile, Kyle Jamieson’s recovery from a back ailment is being closely monitored.
Jacon Duffy, Zak Foulkes, and Blair Tickner have all impressed in recent white-ball series against the West Indies and England, demonstrating their depth.